Capitals Insider: October 12, 2008 - October 18, 2008

In his first post-game comment, Coach Bruce Boudreau said that the Capitals were never in control of tonight's 4-3 shootout loss to New Jersey. He did however praise goaltender Brent Johnson, who was strong early in the game and faced more shots in the first period against the Devils --...

I'm hearing right wing Viktor Kozlov (sprained left knee) is recovering a little faster than expected, and barring any setbacks, will travel with the Caps next week. The hope is that he'll be ready to get back into the lineup at some point on the Calgary-Phoenix-Dallas road trip that begins...

After recording two goals and three assists in three games with Hershey to start the season, Chris Bourque is happy to be back in Washington and at Kettler. And in addition seeing Bourque on the fourth line alongside Dave Steckel and Matt Bradley, coach Bruce Boudreau hinted that the left...

As expected, Sergei Fedorov is on 'D' and Chris Bourque is on the fourth line (in Donald Brashear's spot). Forwards Ovechkin-Backstrom-Clark Laich-Nylander-Semin Fleischmann-Gordon-Fehr Bourque-Steckel-Bradley Defense Morrisonn-Green Fedorov-Jurcina Schultz-Erskine Johnson will start and Theodore will backup. I just asked GM George McPhee about Michal Neuvirth being sent to South Carolina. He...

Just in from Bears beat writer Tim Leone: Michal Neuvirth is headed to South Carolina of the ECHL. Earlier this week, it appeared the Caps planned to loan Neuvirth out to another team, perhaps another organization's AHL affiliate. Apparently, they've decided to go in another direction -- at least for...

With injuries mounting, the Capitals have recalled Chris Bourque from the minor league Hershey Bears this afternoon. Bourque, if you remember, was one of the last players cut after making a strong preseason bid to earn a spot on the opening night roster. This morning, Coach Bruce Boudreau said that...

As of right now, the Caps are practicing without Viktor Kozlov (knee), Donald Brashear (hand) and Tom Poti (groin) and Sergei Fedorov (rest, I'm assuming). I haven't heard about any call-ups -- yet. But the day is young and the Caps are tight against the cap, so there's no sense...

Defenseman Tom Poti left tonight's game after the first period with a groin pull. GM George McPhee said it's too soon to know how much time Poti will miss, but they wanted to get him out of the game rather than have him make the injury worse. Sergei Fedorov moved...

Donald Brashear did not make the trip to Pittsburgh, but Coach Bruce Boudreau said he's hopeful the veteran enforcer will play Saturday against New Jersey. Brashear suffered a bruised/jammed finger when he was struck by a puck in Monday's game. Boudreau confirmed that Jose Theodore will be in net. He...

Although Coach Boudreau would not announce a starter for tomorrow night's game, I'm hearing it's going to be Jose Theodore. Some other notes and quotes from this morning: *Boudreau said Brashear is day-to-day and remains questionable for tomorrow's game. "We'll see how he is tomorrow," Boudreau said. "Those things have...

Injuries to Viktor Kozlov (left leg) and Donald Brashear (hand) has forced Coach Boudreau to shake up his lines, and as of this moment, here's how they look: Ovechkin-Backstrom-Clark Laich-Nylander-Semin Fleischmann-Fedorov-Fehr Steckel-Gordon-Bradley Kozlov, of course, is expected to miss two weeks. Brashear, however, is another story. He was struck on...

It's a good problem to have, but it's still a problem. The Caps have three goaltending prospects -- Simeon Varlamov, Daren Machesney and Michal Neuvirth -- in Hershey right now. That, however, may be about to change. GM George McPhee said today that he plans to loan out one of...

Viktor Kozlov could miss two weeks with an undisclosed injury, General Manager George McPhee said moments ago. Kozlov appeared to injure his left knee when he was hit along the boards by Rob Davison in the second period of last night's 5-1 win over Vancouver. "We suspect it will be...

Viktor Kozlov, Alexander Semin and Donald Brashear are not practicing today, so the lines are all over the place. Fedorov is back up front and Fehr, obviously, is in the lineup because of Kozlov's left leg injury. Not sure what -- if anything -- is wrong with Semin and Brashear....

Here are a few quick post game notes, some of which did not make it into the print edition: Boudreau wouldn't commit to using Fedorov on defense again Thursday in Pittsburgh, but as he noted, it's been a success so far. "Don't ask me that right now," he said with...

The team announced the Kozlov is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. When Kozlov left the ice he was favoring his left knee after being hit along the boards. If Kozlov is not able to play Thursday in Pittsburgh, the Caps will turn to spare winger Eric Fehr, who has yet...

As a blog reader pointed out in the comments section, TSN.ca is now confirming that New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov died during a KHL game today. Omsk head coach, Wayne Fleming said Cherepanov collapsed on the bench during the third period of the game and did not see anything...

With a game against Roberto Luongo and the undefeated Canucks looming tonight, Coach Bruce Boudreau appears to have changed things up. Sergei Fedorov is wearing a black jersey this morning and he's working with the defensemen. Michael Nylander, meantime, has replaced him as the second line center, while Boyd Gordon...